President Bola Tinubu has said his administration will no longer allow closure of universities in the country.
The president stated this at the grand finale of the 39th Convocation of the University of Ilorin on Tuesday.
This is coming on the heels of the recent strike notice issued by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and other academic unions over salary arrears and non-implementation of the 2009 agreement.
But Tinubu urged them to avail themselves of the opportunity of negotiations created by his administration.
According to him, universities just like the entire nation need peace to guarantee prosperity and development.
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The president, who was represented by the Minister of State for Education, Dr Yusuf Sununu, said his administration is committed to uninterrupted academic sessions in the universities.
“My Government is committed to an uninterrupted academic calendar. Let me, therefore, appeal to the staff members of the nation’s universities to always give peace a chance.
“Gone were the days when universities would be closed down over issues that could be resolved through constructive engagements.
“We have grown beyond that and we should not return to that path. We would not allow that to happen again. Our universities should always be open for continuous quality teaching, research and community service to flourish”, he said.
He continued, “We would ensure that the Federal Government and our various universities enjoy a new form of good and positive relationship in the interest of the nation and humanity.
“We would ensure that this fraternity is sustained through honest and consistent open engagement between the government on one side, and the universities on the other”.
On the demand of ASUU and other unions, Tinubu said the federal government is trying to fulfil its own part of the agreement.
“That is why we inaugurated the 2009 re-negotiation committee between the federal government and universities based associations and unions under the leadership of Dr. Yayale Ahmed.
“As part of efforts to sustain this, we have effected the payment of four months of the previously withheld salaries of academic and non-teaching staff of universities.
“This was purposely done to show the magnanimity of the present administration, despite the activation of the principle of the ‘no work no pay’ rule”, he said.
The president added that “we have also directed that the payment of salaries of university staff members be removed from the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) forthwith in response to the consistent pleas of the university trade unions.
“We will ensure that this removal is effected without further delay”.
He said the Nigerian Education Loans Fund (NELFUND) has come to stay and urged every student to take advantage of privilege to better their lots.
He said the institutions were recently given the waiver to recruit more staff members to replace those who have left their services as a result of death, retirement or resignation.
He, however, urged the graduating students to join hands with other members of the society to solve the economic and security challenges facing the country.
In his address, the Pro-Chancellor and the Chairman of the Governing Council of the university, Abiodun Aluko, said “We shall mobilise human and material resources, both from within and outside to ensure the vision of the founding fathers is not only sustained but robustly boosted”
Aluko, a former Deputy governor of Ekiti State, said the new council is determined to ensure that the university remains the nation’s number one in terms academic excellence, research outputs, and the quantity of its students’ intake.
“We will ensure that the prevailing peace and tranquility on the university campus is maintained”, he added.
Earlier on Monday, the Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof Wahab Egbewole charged the graduating students to start taking responsibilities and be good ambassadors of the institution.
Speaking on the topic; ‘No longer where we were’, Egbewole said the graduands will now have to relieve their parents by taking up bills and responsibility for their actions to contribute meaningfully to nation building.
He urged them to compete favourably in the available space to make an impact and change the narrative about the country to an enviable one.
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